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The Kristal hotel is a great, modern, spotless hotel. Having to spoke to many people this hotel is one of the best. I booked my holiday in January ,got a bargin at £200 b & b inc insurance/trans. This was booked for 2 adults. No children, I cant realy find any fault with this hotel as it was what i was looking for within my holiday. I wouldnt recommend this hotel for anyone with walking difficulties, or familys having a pushchair, as to get to restraunts and to the beach you have to go through the back of the hotel down steep steps, its also a good 15 min walk to the beach. I would strongly recommend trying Ivans bar for a fantastic eating place. the staff are so helpful, and the food fab !! The beach at Golden sands is fantastic, as well as the market stalls that run along side the beach. Girls, take plenty of spending money as theres plenty of bargins to be had! I have only been back a week and im searching the net for a deal to go back, and YES ! im looking for the Kristal. Oh and when walking down Bar street walk to the left side there is a very anoying women trying to get u in the restraunt and she doesnt get the message when you have said NO. But other than that there isnt to much hassle. Im sure u will have a great time if you go to the Kristal and ya never know i maybe there yet again !! Have fun !

Stayed: May 2007

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Ask miss_happy35 about Hotel Kristal

4 Thank miss_happy35

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

We stayed at the Hotel Kristal a year ago, in late May 2006. for one week, with our (then) 8 year old and 2 year old (through first choice). The room was great (bunk beds for the kids and double bed for us), and there was a good en suite, TV and balcony.

We went half board, which was remarkably cheap and was a great success -- some really great food, especially in the evenings, although possibly not so much for those with a strictly conventional English palate. For us, however, the food was a real highlight. (especially the amazing blancmanche!!!!)

There is a great pool at the hotel, and it is a short walk down the hill into town - which has a range of bars and nightlife (not for us on this occasion, as we were with kids!) and a terrific beach with some good places for lunch.

We took a taxi ride into Varna for one day when the weather was less good (it was perfect for 6 of the 7 days) and had a great day of culture shock! (and enjoyed the archaeological museum, with its famous collection of prehistoric gold objects).

All in all, this was a truly excellent and relaxing family holiday. The first choice kids club was the only disappointment - but we wanted to see our kids during the holiday rather than farm them out! Might be less good for teenagers, but a really great place for a family holiday in our situation. Overall, would recommend very strongly, especially for families with young kids. We had a really wonderful time.

Stayed: April 2007

Ask Higgs_Family about Hotel Kristal

2 Thank Higgs_Family

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

I booked this hotel after reading the reviews on this website and Holiday Watchdog as it had the best reviews for 4* hotels in Golden Sands. I went with my family for two weeks in August 2006. The hotel itself is nice and clean, and the rooms are spacious - although they could do with providing more than 4 hangers in the wardrobes. The major downside to the hotel is the food. It is dreadful, it's of poor quality, is tasteless, there are limited choices and it's repetitive - and some nights the food was cold.. I would not recommend anyone to stay HB or FB at this hotel, as the food lets the hotel down, and in my opinion would reduce the rating to 3*. In fact I've had better food in most of the 3* hotels I've stayed in before. I complained to the holiday rep numerous times, and she herself didn't eat at the hotel restaurant as it's so bad. She told me that due to huge amount of negative comments received all season long, the hotel is going to offer B&B boarding next year, with the option to upgrade to HB, if I were you I'd save my money and eat out. It is SO cheap to eat and drink out in Bulgaria. The evening entertainment provided by First Choice was poor, in fact there were only 2 nights during the whole 2 weeks, where there was any interesting entertainment .The kids club also run by First Choice was okay, our children enjoyed it, but was only open during certain hours during the day.Another point to mention is that the hotel is not 500m away from the beach as most brochures state, it's a 15 minute walk at the fastest pace! These points were not just felt by my family but by most other holiday makers we spoke with at the hotel. All in all I'd rate this hotel 6/10 definately no higher.

Stayed: August 2006, traveled with family

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Ask Roseenie about Hotel Kristal

3 Thank Roseenie

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

me, my hubby and our 14yr old have been back just over a week from kristal. we went for our fortnights summer holiday. we had never been to bulgaria before.i can honestly say that our stay there was fantastic. everything about the hotel was great. everywhere is kept so clean. the maids cant do enough for you, (including making up your towels each day into different animals etc)the staff at kristal were very helpful. water park is 10mins walk. we went twice and had a very good day out.we travelled with first choice and found our representatives barney and selina a delight.food at the hotel was good but everyone must understand that you r eating in bulgaria and not at home, so some of the food is cooked different to the way we normally eat it at home.even so if you fancy a change and want to eat at one of the main restaurants just down the road in party street, you can. eating out is so cheap, so it doesnt matter whether you dine in the hotel or not. must say the kebabs r lovely.when you walk down party street where the main shops and bars and restaurants are, this will take you to the beach which is absolutely what it says golden sands. greattttttttttall in all we really had a great time, and wud love to go back next year.10/10jane jim and jack (from warwick)

Stayed: July 2006, traveled with family

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Ask fullohugs about Hotel Kristal

6 Thank fullohugs

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

We have just got back from this hotel and felt we should write something as the reviews were very helpful to us before we went. Me, the missus and our 19month old daughter booked a week at the Kristal in Golden Sands as we wanted to check Bulgaria out and Kristal kept coming up as a good place to stay. The hotel is nice, you can't fault it on cleanliness and the rooms are done on a daily basis. Didn't actually see a spider, cockroach or mosquito all week anywhere in Golden Sands! The maids even make hilarious shapes out of the towels! I personally found the reception staff a bit cold, it took a couple of days to get the mini-bar/fridge unlocked which was annoying as we had stuff for the baby that needed to be cold. If you use it as a fridge there's a charge and they'll empty out the booze. We just took the odd bottle of water out to make it look like we were using it. The rooms have good air-con which is a god send as it is sooo hot there - I think 39 degrees one day! It makes it worse as there's no breeze. In my opinion, the pool water is nowhere near as clean as it should be, even with goggles on you can't see further than a few inches in front of your face. A guest we met over there even got an ear infection. BEWARE - the tiles round the pool are ridiculously slippery! Kids are constantly going flying, it's crazy that it isn't a better surface and I complained a few times. Even the adults were fallling over (me included - not beer related). If you've got little un's you need to get your towel by the baby pool really early to get your beds safe as there aren't many. The food is ok but it's worth eating out in one of the hundreds of restaurants as it's pretty cheap and makes a nice change. There is a choice of stuff to eat and it's alright but not great. Waiting staff at the hotel hardly speak any English and I thought could be a bit bulshy. Drinks in the hotel are very pricey, except the local beer but even thats more than anywhere in the town. Basically, anything outside of what you get as part of your half-board deal is gonna cost you. Staff at the main hotel bar are great, Raly etc. First Choice staff were fantastic and really made a difference. For us, the people we met at the hotel made the holiday for us, everyone was so friendly and all the kids played beautifully together. To summarise, Golden Sands as a resort was nothing like we expected! It's packed with tacky souvenier shops, bars, restaurants, casinos, strip clubs etc, etc. However, the hotel complexes are good, and Kristal is great. Generally the Bulgarian people are really nice and it's pretty cheap - not quite as cheap as we thought but still cheaper than Greece, Spain etc. I would reccommend staying at the Kristal as it's got a bit of everything and the First Choice staff are great. And if you're lucky like we were, you'll meet some excellent people as well! George, Lou and Freya, Brighton

Stayed: June 2006

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Ask georgecarlo about Hotel Kristal

5 Thank georgecarlo

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

stayed at the hotel kristal in end of june beginning of may 2006 well what can i say i absouloutley loved it not a thing out of place spotless. Daily lifeguard, pool, childrens park and kids club for 3-8 year olds .A park with a sand floor, daily activities such as waterpolo , quizes and pool competions oh and i must not forget the ping pong and football for all ages.The food is repetitive but this does not matter becausethere is a lot of it so your bound to have a differnet choice and the kids corner has great english kids food such as turkey dinasours , chips , vegetables and much more but overall the hotel and grounds were fabulous. All the staff are very friendly and the people on the streets do encourage you to come in to there restaraunt but a maybe another time is a fine answer for them .Also check out the lions bar and say hi to nicoli for me tell him its from tez liz and becky.WELL ALL I CAN SAY IS HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY.

Stayed: June 2006

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Ask a question about Hotel Kristal

11 Thank A TripAdvisor Member

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

The Kristal is an all-inclusive hotel complex in a peaceful and quiet area of the Golden Sands resort, only 450 metres away from the beach. The Kristal offers beautifully decorated standard twin rooms, cosy family rooms and spacious superior double rooms. Spacious lobby, 24-hour reception, main restaurant, lobby bar, bistro, pool bar, indoor swimming pool, outdoor swimming pool with a child section, wellness centre, internet room, tennis court, billiard table, table tennis, children’s playground. For the summer season 2014 we have made a lot of changes and innovations. These will allow us to offer more varied services with higher quality and our guests will be able to relax more efficiently.• For your comfort we offer new Superior Family room with a modern and exquisite design and three regular beds.• We have built a new restaurant and a bar with spacious terrace - functional and elegant, with beautiful view to the garden and the pool.• The completely renovated Wellness Centre offers a wide range of services for relaxation: steam bath, hammam, massage, Jacuzzi, adventure shower, various relaxing and recreational programs, hairdresser’s, manicure and pedicure.• You will find a lot of changes in the pool area – a new pool bar, many places for sunbeds, surrounded by beautiful greenery.• Our youngest guests will enjoy the new children's playground with a variety of facilities and their favorite trampoline. • The teenagers and their parents can enjoy the services offered in our newly established Game lounge equipped with billiards and a wide variety of electronic games.• The fully modified hotel garden awaits you with new places for sport and recreation, fitness, table tennis, petang, tennis court and relaxation areas.• The new animation team will take care of your good mood in the newly built modern amphitheater stage. We will be happy to welcome you as our guests and we hope that you will spend a pleasant holiday in Hotel Kristal! Welcome! Hotel Kristal Management...more less

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Also Known As:

Kristal Hotel Golden Sands

Kristal Golden Sands

Hotel Kristal Golden Sands, Bulgaria - Varna Province

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